The Secret
by Zoe tabbycat
Summary: What happens if Stella had a daughter, a daughter that no one knew about? What happens if she was involved in a case as a victim? How will the whole team react? Will the whole ordeal bring Stella and Mac even closer? Smacked all the way.
1. Chapter 1

The Secret

_Summary: What will happen if Stella had a daughter, a daughter that no one knew about? What will happen if she was involved in a crime as a victim? How will the rest of the team react? How will Mac feel about Stella for keeping her daughter a secret? Will this bring forth romance between them? Smacked!_

_A/N: I __was__ really bored when I came up with this idea. I ha__d__ absolutely nothing to do and was just mooching around the apartment when my muse decided to visit me. I hope you like this fanfic._

_Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful CSI: NY. Anything you recognize belong to Anthony E. Zuiker and CBS. If I did own them, Stella and Mac would have gotten together ages ago._

_*The Secret*_

'I'm home!' Stella announced as she stepped through the door which lead to her apartment. The moment she closed the door behind her, a girl with curly brown hair and brilliant green eyes came rushing out to give her a hug. Stella smiled. It felt so good to see her daughter. No one from work knew about her daughter. She was not ashamed of her, of course she wasn't. She just didn't know how to tell them. She had an issue with trust and did not let anyone know about her daughter when she first came to the crime lab. Now, she knew she could trust them but how to tell them? She couldn't just waltz into the crime lab one day and announce, 'Oh, and by the way, I have an eleven year old daughter.' Therefore, her daughter was kept a secret.

'Katie Cat. How are you today?' Stella asked her. Katie Jean Bonasera was the daughter of her and her first boyfriend from college, James Rodriguez. They had been together for around 7 years, but when Stella told James that she was pregnant with his child, he just left her to deal with the 'problem', as he called it.

After Katie was born, she decided to join the law enforcement squad. Her excellent marks in forensics helped her secure a place in the crime lab of NYPD. Being a working mom was not easy, but she managed. Her daughter was also an understanding girl, and could always sympathize if her mother can't make it home before her bedtime.

'School was great, mom. I got my math test back and got 10 out of 10,' Katie told her excitedly.

'That's really good, kiddo,' Stella praised her. 'I'm proud of you. Did you have a good dinner?' she asked, rumbling through the bag of groceries she bought on the way home.

'Uhm hm,' Katie nodded. 'I went over to Carla's house and her mom made a huge pot of pasta, so I'm stuffed. And they tasted really good; Mrs. Jameson should go into business,' Katie answered.

'That's good. It's half past 10 now, so time for bed,' Stella told her. 'Go and get ready and I'll come and tuck you in, okay?' she asked, smiling softly. When Katie nodded and departed towards the bathroom, she went to shower, an instant remedy for her aching muscles.

As soon as she was done, she went into Katie's bedroom, tucked her in, and gave her a goodnight kiss, she ventured out into the kitchen for a small snack. She was dealing with one of the most difficult crime she had ever faced. A sniper was now in town, and would kill whoever crossed his path. He left hardly any evidence, not enough to work with, at any rate. Stella was all for going through the small amount of evidence for a second time, but since she was running very short on sleep, she decided that the evidence can wait till the next morning. After eating a cup of yoghurt, she also went to bed.

*The Secret*

'Have a good day at school, Katie Cat,' Stella gave her daughter a kiss and a hug, marveling at the rate that children grew.

'Love you, mom,' Katie threw her mom a grin.

'I love you too, sweetheart,' Stella answered before Katie went out of the door.

Katie met up with Carla at the corner and they went to school together, chatting all the time. They decided to grab a sandwich in their favourite deli before going to school since they had plenty of time.

'Hey girls,' the man behind the counter greeted them cheerfully. They went there pretty often and almost everyone who worked there knew them. 'The usual?'

'Hi Damien.' They greeted him. 'And yes, the usual, if you please.'

'Coming right up,' Damien replied digging in the shelves for their request.

Once they got the sandwiches, they went out together and headed towards school, not noticing the person shadowing their every step.

As they turned into an empty alley, the man behind them took his chance. Katie only had enough time to register the sound of two gunshots before she blacked out.

*The Secret*

'Stella, here we go again,' Flack came up to Stella and sighed.

'Don't tell me. The perp struck again,' Stella sighed. Another life gone, just like that.

'Yep. White chalk cross and all,' Flack told her.

'Alright, you drive. I'll get Lindsay,' Stella instructed, already heading towards her friend.

As they sat in the car, Stella's mind tried to reconstruct the methods of this perp. He or she always left a white chalk cross on the floor whenever he made a move. If he struck again, this would be the 5th victim.

When they got there, they found that the area had already been roped off. Flack went off to try and find out the victim's identity, while Lindsay and Stella pulled on their latex gloves and took out their forensic kits.

'Vic's name is Carla Jameson,' Flack notified them. 'Apparently, there was another victim, witnesses said they saw the man kidnap her.

Stella had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her daughter had told her this morning that she was going to school with Carla. 'Did you get a description?' She asked warily.

'Yeah,' Flack answered slowly, watching her face carefully for a reaction. 'Basically, a description of you. Curly brown hair, sharp facial features, very pretty, they say.'

Lindsay looked at Stella sharply. She was not a CSI for nothing. She could hear a different tone in Stella's voice, the way her face fell ever so slightly as Flack gave the description, the fear in her eyes.

They started scouting around for evidence, the whole time, Lindsay kept an eye on Stella. Stella looked around, looking for something that proves that the girl that was taken was not her daughter. She spotted the corner of a wallet sticking out from under Carla. With a slight tug, she removed it and recognized it as the one that she gave to Katie on her birthday. She opened it, her heart hammering, and found a photo of her daughter smiling up at her, and the I.D. card inside the wallet proved that the girl taken was her daughter. She paled but tried to continue her job.

'Hey Lindsay, I found out the identity of the other girl taken,' Stella called. Lindsay came over and took a look at the card, then looked at Stella.

'Katie _Bonasera_?' Lindsay asked, incredulously.

'Yes. My daughter.' Stella told her tonelessly.

* * *

><p><em>Well, i hope you like this chapter. For those who are reading Hanging by the thread, I will update soon, I promise. Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW. That gorgeous button down there, press it please and just leave a couple of words and you will make me very happy<em>

_Criticisms will be much appreciated, but no flamers please_

_Zoe tabbycat_


	2. Chapter 2

The Secret Ch.2

Stella could not believe it. Her baby girl was taken. Katie had been the most precious thing in her life. She was in shock. How could she let this happen to Katie? She tried to remember whether she told Katie she loved her this morning, but this morning seemed a century away. She was so deep in her thoughts that she did not hear Lindsay coming into her office.

'Stella?' Lindsay called softly.

Stella raised her head and looked at Lindsay. Her eyes were searching for an answer, any shred of evidence that could lead them to her baby girl.

Lindsay shook her head. 'I'm sorry, Stella. Nothing so far.'

Stella's shoulder drooped. She had hoped for something. 'Does the team know yet?' she asked.

Lindsay shook her head again. 'I thought that it would be better if you were the one to tell them,' she answered.

Stella nodded. She knew that she had to take herself off this case, due to personal conflict, but if she told Mac that she wanted to take herself off this case, he would be sure to know that something is wrong. He could read her so well that it was kind of scary. She knew that she would have to tell him about her daughter and explain why she kept her a secret.

*The Secret*

'Let me go, you bastard!' Katie struggled against her kidnapper, but yielded no results. Her kidnapper was big, strong and burly; she stood no chance against him unless she sprouted wings or something.

'No way. You are a copper's daughter, right? I want to have some fun with you,' the man snarled, grinned nastily. When Katie continued to struggle, stomping on his feet repeatedly, the grin slid off his face.

'That's it. You asked for it,' he told her nastily as he injected drugs into her system. Katie tried to fight it, but the blackness overwhelmed her quickly… again.

*The Secret*

'Mac, I want to take myself off this case,' Stella announced as she walked into Mac's office.

To say Mac was surprised was an understatement. Stella would never take herself off a case voluntarily. Hell, even if he insisted, she still would not take herself off any case. And now, she was here, telling him that she wanted to take herself off this case.

"Stella, are you sure you're okay?' Mac asked, concerned about her.

'Mac, the girl that was taken, it was my daughter,' Stella whispered

Time seemed to stand still. This was definitely not what he was expecting. However, he could see that she was still in shock. He carefully guided her to the couch in his office and helped her settle down.

'Why didn't you say something when you got back with Lindsay and Don?' Mac asked.

'I didn't know how to tell any of you. Lindsay found out, because I showed her an I.D. card of my daughter. I didn't tell any of you because I wanted to work on this case, but when I saw the evidence in the box, I just couldn't,' Stella sobbed.

Mac could see that this case had hit too close to home for her. He wrapped his arms around her, comforting her, surprised at the fact that she fitted perfectly in there. Stella clung onto him like a lifeline, crying freely. She allowed herself to break down in front of Mac because she knew that he would never judge her.

After a while, Stella calmed down a bit and Mac started to question her reluctantly, but since this was protocol, he had no choice but to do it.

'What is her name, Stella? And when was the last time you saw her?' Mac asked.

'Her name is Katie Jean Bonasera. She is eleven now and is basically a younger version of me. I saw this morning just before she went to school,' Stella sniffed, wiping her tears off her face.

After getting some basic information, Mac let Stella head back to work. He tried to get her to take a break, use up some of the vacation days that she was owed, but no. Being the stubborn Stella Bonasera, she would never let anyone persuade her to do something that she didn't want to. He complied with her request and reassigned her to another case that involves a DB found in Central Park, but he really wished she wasn't so stubborn when it came to her own physical and mental health.

*The Secret*

Katie woke up in a room with all the windows barred shut. Being a CSI's daughter, she looked around swiftly for any means of escape, but found none. Just then, she heard the door lock click and whirled around. A man she had never seen in her life was standing there, looking at her with an appraising eye.

'Good, good. You are finally awake,' the man told her, licking his lips in anticipation.

'Who the hell are you?' Katie snarled.

'My, my. A feisty girl, eh? I like feisty girls. So much fun. I'm glad I waited for you to wake up. Now I can have even more fun with you,' the man told her nastily. 'And to answer your question, you can call me Demon.'

'Yeah, a very fitting name. Only a Demon could possibly do what you are planning to do,' Katie answered sarcastically. 'My guess is that you are the idiotic sniper that is running around the town stupidly?'

Katie was trying to push his buttons. Knowing that if he got angry enough, he would probably inject her with drugs and she would be safe for a little while.

'Lucky for you, kid, I'm in a pretty good mood today, so I won't punish you for what you said yet,' Demon answered, taking out a couple slices of bread and a glass of water. 'You eat this up and we will have fun tonight.' The conversation over, he strode out of the room, locking the door securely behind him.

*The Secret*

'Stella, you need a break, do go and take a rest,' Mac implored.

'No. I'll stay here and wait for news,' Stella answered stubbornly.

'Stella, I mean what I say. Go home, or I will take you home myself,' Mac threatened.

Stella was actually really tired, but the fear of something happening to Katie was keeping her awake. She had been working for the whole day, not even taking a single break. Mac knew what she was trying to do. When he lost Claire, he also tried to bury himself in work, because whenever he had a short break, his mind would immediately go back to Claire. Now he had moved on a lot, but it still hurt. This incident is still so fresh; he knew that Stella would hear Katie's voice crying for help in her head whenever she was not working.

'No, Mac,' Stella whined. Her exhaustion was making her act childishly.

'You asked for it, Stella,' Mac told her, picking her up bridal style.

'Mac, what are you doing?' Stella shrieked, earning a few weird looks from their co-workers.

'Since you can't seem to take care of yourself temporarily, it seems that I will have to take over in that aspect,' Mac answered as they got into the elevator.

'I can take perfectly good care of myself, thank you very much,' Stella grumbled, but stopped struggling to get down. She would never admit it, but she liked it when Mac carried her.

'_In bridal styl__e,__'_ Stella mused to herself. Then she blushed lightly. _'Mac is carrying me in bridal style.'_

_A/N: __Right, I hope you like it. I'm so bored right now, so I decided to update this story. As usual, please please please review, you would make a bored girl very happy._

_REVIEW PLEASE! Criticisms will be much appreciated but no flamers please_

_Special thanks to __**Bianca tabbycat**__ for agreeing to beta this story for me and __**rocksmacked**__ for giving me my first review in this story_

_Zoe tabbycat_


	3. Chapter 3

The Secret Ch.3

_A/N: I'm actually pretty weak in writing the romance part of a fanfic, so if you have any good pointers or guide for the later chapters on the romance between Stella and Mac, do put it in your review or PM me. Thanks. _

Mac took Stella back to her place. He tried asking her to stay at his apartment, worried the memory of Katie being in that house would prove to be too much for her, but being who she was, Stella wouldn't give up without a fight. She managed to persuade Mac that she would be perfectly fine in her apartment, and that being in the house might be able to make her feel closer to Katie.

However, since Mac had gone through the same emotional roller coaster, he knew better. He decided that he would stick around downstairs for some time, just in case that she decided that she really couldn't do it, and just had to get away from the house for a little while.

Stella walked into the apartment. She tossed her keys into the tray beside the door like she did every day, but this time, there was no one to fling themselves on to her, to greet her when she came home from work.

She walked past Katie's bedroom before reaching her own. She placed her hand on the door knob, intending to open it, shower then go to sleep, but she hesitated. She wanted to feel her daughter close to her. She went and opened the door that leads to Katie's bedroom.

She stared around, her brain taking in every inch of the room; photos of the two of them placed all around the room, her dance supplies packed and placed on her bed, the posters of her favorite band lining the wall… Stella couldn't bear it anymore; she packed a small suitcase, taking only daily necessities with her and went out of the door. She went down, intending to hail a cab and head towards the nearest hotel, but when she got to the lobby, she saw Mac sitting there.

'Mac?' She said, surprised.

'Yeah, it's me,' Mac replied.'

'What are you doing here?' Stella asked, confused.

'I was…' Mac tried to come up with an excuse, but simply couldn't, so he opted to tell her the truth.

'I was worried about you, Stell. You were like a zombie the whole day. I just wanted to make sure that you are really okay about staying in your own apartment,' Mac answered.

'I can take care of myself. I am an independent woman, Mac,' Stella told him, a little irritated and miffed about the fact that he thought she could not take good care of herself.

'Stella, no one would question you about your ability to take care of yourself. We all know that you are incredibly strong and can stand your own ground perfectly well, but Stella, let me take care of you for this period of time. You took care of me when Claire died, now it is my turn to take care of you,' Mac told her softly. 'You are my best friend and this is what friends do for each other.'

'_I wish it was more, Stella. I wish we could take this one step further,'_ Mac thought to himself.

Stella recognized defeat when she saw it. She nodded her consent and followed Mac to his car.

*The Secret*

It was night time, and Katie was getting scared. She was almost certain of what the man wanted to do to her and she knew she would not be strong enough to overpower him. She heard the door creak open and she braced herself for the torture that she knew was inevitable.

'Did you have a good dinner?' Demon asked, grinning nastily.

She nodded, not bothering to fight. She figured that her energy could be put into good use in someplace else. Demon was surprised but tried to mask it.

'I've decided that you are too young to have fun with. You are only eleven,' Demon announced. Katie looked up, surprised.

'Yep, you haven't heard wrong. I'm not gonna rape you,' Demon continued. Katie narrowed her eyes at him. She knew that he was not being compassionate; he wanted something else in return.

'What do you want?' She asked, her voice betraying no emotion.

'I want your mother. That hot copper,' he answered.

Katie groaned mentally. She would rather endure the torture herself than let her mother endure it. Her mother's childhood had already been ruined; she didn't need her adulthood to be ruined as well. As for herself, she had a very pleasant childhood up till now, so she would rather be raped herself.

'Don't take my mother. Just do it to me,' Katie pleaded with him, her voice soft.

'No way. Your mother would be much more fun… Yes, much more fun,' he answered before snapping a photo of her and leaving her room, locking the door behind him again.

Katie sank down on the bed. She could already guess his plan but had no chance of stopping him. She knew that as soon as her mother saw the photo of her, she would do anything Demon said. He would tell her to meet him in a remote area and take her, and then do the unspeakable. She lay down, trying to calm herself and prayed whole-heartedly that someone would help her.

*The Secret*

Mac gave Stella a goodnight kiss on the forehead, his lips lingering a little longer than usual, before switching off the light of the guest room. He had offered his own bed to Stella, but she would not hear of it. She insisted that the guestroom was perfectly fine and he let it go, at least at that moment.

He got into bed, but didn't go to sleep. He was a notorious insomniac and try as he might, sleep was just something that his body had trouble comprehending. So, unless he was working for about 3 days straight, his body just could not shut down, and would require a large amount of caffeine to continue functioning.

A couple of hours passed and everything was calm and quiet. All of a sudden, moans were heard in the air. He immediately got out of bed and went to the guest room. Sure enough, it was Stella. It was obvious that she was having a nightmare. Mac immediately went over and started murmuring into her ears while she immediately clung onto him.

'I've got you now, shhh. It's alright, it's just a nightmare. Everything is fine, Stella. Wake up, it's okay, shhh…' Mac murmured, and slowly, Stella's eyes opened.

'Mac,' Stella cried and clung onto him even tighter. 'The man, the man was, was trying to _rape_ my baby girl.'

'Stella, don't fret. We will find her. We will,' Mac assured her, but Stella shook her head.

'How do you know?' she asked.

Mac's heart broke at the sight that she was so discouraged that she actually believe that they wouldn't be able to find Katie. He took her to his bed, settled her down and hugged her tight to him.

'We will find her, Stella, I promise,' Mac told her.

_A/N: This chapter is dedicated to __**lily moonlight**__ for coming up with an idea which I can use in my story. Thanks._

_Also, many thanks to my wonderful beta for this story, __**Bianca tabbycat**__._

_Please review and if you have any ideas or criticisms, do put them in or simply PM me._

_As usual, Criticisms will be much appreciated, but NO flamers please._

_Zoe tabbycat_


	4. Chapter 4

The Secret Ch.4

Stella woke up and found herself in Mac's bed, but said person was nowhere in sight. She got up and opened the door, and immediately, a heavenly aroma of coffee and breakfast wafted in. She went out to the kitchen and saw Mac preparing toast and coffee.

'Good morning, Stella,' Mac greeted before turning around. He had heard her footsteps coming towards him and knew she was there.

'How is it that I could never sneak up on you?' she demanded, her hands placed on her hips.

Mac chuckled. 'Consider it as a part of being a CSI and a former marine.'

Stella huffed, but bought his explanation. The truth was that Mac loved Stella, more than anything. All her little actions such as tucking a strand of hair behind her ears or a simple laugh could keep his fascinated for hours on end. He had learned as much as possible about Stella, including the way she liked her breakfast or the way her footsteps sounded.

Stella went and took a quick shower, dressed in her 'work' clothes and went out again. Mac was there at the table, waiting for her. She thanked him, started breakfast and chatted about various things that did not include Katie. However, Stella still couldn't stop thinking about her, the way that she gabbled about the dream she had or the crazy ideas she came up with for the weekend that always had her in stitches. Mac could tell her heart was not totally into the meal, but he could hardly blame her, so he did not push Stella, but simply let her know that he would always be there for her.

*The Secret*

'Mac, take a look at this,' a very agitated Stella burst into Mac's office. A USB was in her hand and she stuck it into the slot on the large screen he had in his room. Mac gasped slightly. Photos of a young girl who was extraordinarily like Stella were shown there. The only difference was their eyes. The eyes of the girl in the photo lacked Stella's usual cheerfulness. Defeat shone clearly in those large, clear green eyes. Mac immediately knew who that was – Katie Bonasera.

'Did you get Adam check the IP address of where these photos were sent?' Mac asked urgently.

Stella gave a nod. 'Came back to a coffee shop up in Brooklyn. Flack and Danny are there now.'

After a few more reassuring words from Mac, Stella left the office and went back to her own. She felt guilty for not telling him anything, but she was desperate to get Katie back. She read the email that came with the photos again.

_Hello Copper__,_

_I have no idea of your real name, so I will just call you copper. You can just know me as Demon. Have no doubt that it is I who has your daughter, and it is I who is the serial killer behind all those recent attacks. Your daughter is a nice, feisty girl, isn't she? However, I'm afraid that she is no longer __useful__ to me. You can come and pick her up, ALONE. Tell anyone about this and she would be killed. Oh, and to __answer the question__you are sure to have about whether__ your daughter is still alive, here are some photos._

_Come alone to the run-down shed at Central Park at 4 and you will get your daughter back._

_Demon_

Stella read and reread the letter over and over again. She knew that in these situations, she really should inform Mac and they go and arrest this guy, but she was worried that this person may have an insider at the NYPD. What if he found out that she had told Mac? What if he killed Katie? Stella would never be able to live with that, knowing she was the cause of her death.

She made up her mind to do what Demon asked her to do. She knew that she was being irrational, but she could not help herself.

She knew the dangers involved and decided to inform Mac with a letter on her desk. Checking her watch, she saw that it was only 2:30 p.m., plenty of time for her to write her letter.

_Dear Mac__,_

_I know that when you read this letter, you will be too late to stop me. Do__n't__ worry. I hav__en't__ gone to do anything stupid. I merely wanted Katie back. Do you remember me coming into your office with the photos of Katie? The perp had actually __sent__ an email with it. He told me that as long as I am alone at 4 in the run-down shed in Central Park, he'll let me get Katie back. Do__n't__ worry about me, I'll be fine._

_With love__,_

_Stella_

It had taken longer than she had anticipated writing the letter. She did not know what to tell him and what not to tell. When she was finally done, it was already 3:30. She sealed the envelope, wrote Mac's name on it and went down to the shed, straight into the hands of Demon.

*The Secret*

Katie sat on her bed, trying to keep calm. Demon had bragged about his plans to capture her mother, and therefore, Katie knew what was going to happen. She could only hope that her mother would tell someone where she was going, so that she would be found. She curled up on the bed, and shuddered. Horrifying images of her mother being tortured by the bastard were flashing across her mind. She drew her legs close to her and tried to comfort herself with the desperate hope that her mother was going to be fine.

*The Secret*

Stella walked into the shed, her eyes adjusting to the small amount of light in the room; she looked around and saw a man standing there. She walked over boldly.

'Demon?' Stella questioned, her tone steely hard.

'Copper,' Demon answered nodding to her.

Before Stella had any time to react, Demon hit her head with something blunt. She fell to the ground and felt darkness seeping through her. Before she was out cold, only one thought was flashing through her mind.

_Mac, where are you? My Mac, my love, where are you?_

*The Secret*

'Stella?' Mac called into her office. He had been looking for her for the past half – hour, but had no luck finding her. He went into her office and saw the letter addressed to himself. His face paled when he finished reading it. He immediately went off to find Lindsay, Danny and Sheldon to go and search for her.

When they reached the shed, they immediately spotted blood lying on the floor. Sheldon tested it and it came back positive for human blood. No one said it out loud, but all of them were pretty sure that it would come back to Stella.

They started looking around for evidence that would prove that it was _not _Stella's blood. When Lindsay saw something glinting on the floor, she went over to examine it. It was an earring.

She handed it over to Mac silently, hoping that he would tell them all that it was not the earring that Stella wore today. But a look on Mac's face when he saw the earring told them the grave news.

'That's the earring Stella wore today,' Mac proclaimed grimly.

* * *

><p><em>Well, i hope you enjoyed this chapter! Special thanks to <strong>Bianca tabbycat <strong>for betaing this fanfic for me. If any of you are looking for a beta, trust me, **Bianca tabbycat** is the best choice for it. She finished betaing this story for me in less than half an hour so i can post it right now. _

_As usual, Please REVIEW! Criticisms are much appreciated but no flamers please._

_Zoe tabbycat_


	5. Chapter 5

The Secret Ch.5

Stella's eyes flickered open slowly. She had no idea where she was and all she knew was that she had a huge headache. Her head was still throbbing and it felt like someone pounded her with hot metal. She sat up slowly with a groan, and did not even register the door being opened and shut. She gave a little involuntary jump when someone started to speak.

'I'll bet you have a headache, copper. Take a Tylenol.' The man offered a glass of water and a couple of white pills in his hands.

Stella hissed. She knew this has to be the person who took her daughter. 'Where is my daughter?' she snarled.

Demon laughed. Forcing her to take the pills, he answered her while caressing her cheeks.

'She's next door. Since I'm in a pretty good mood today, I will let you have some time together.' With that, Demon forced Stella up and tossed her into the room next door where her daughter was.

Backing out of the room, he locked the door behind him. Stella huffed in annoyance, but it all evaporated when she saw Katie lying on the bed, motionless. Her maternal side immediately took over, and she rushed over to Katie immediately.

'Katie, Katie. Oh my god, Katie, wake up, wake up for me.' Stella rambled on as Katie's eyes flickered open.

Stella quickly checked her forehead. It was scorching hot. Stella figured that she was coming down with the flu, but hearing her rather labored breathing, she knew that it was not that simple. Katie had probably contracted the flu a few days ago and now it had developed into pneumonia due to lack of proper care. Stella immediately started looking for ways to escape.

'Mom, don't bother. This man is a pro. There is no way out of this place. He may look sloppy, but he is not. I tried every way, but they all failed,' Katie told her weakly.

Stella went over to hold her sick daughter close to her. Katie's eyes drooped close as she lay in her mother's embrace, while Stella took comfort in the reassurance that her daughter was right next to her.

*The Secret*

The team immediately canvassed the area for clues or evidence that was left behind in hopes that they would lead them to the place that Stella was taken. They took as much as possible with them back to the lab, hoping the vital piece of the puzzle was somewhere in there. Right now, this case was top priority. Two of their own were taken, one for 48 hours, one for approximately 4 hours. Lindsay was processing the soil samples taken from the shed; Hawkes was processing all the blood evidence, Danny was processing all the utensils at the shed while Mac was examining the earring left behind.

He still remembered the story behind the earring. He had given it to Stella on her birthday.

_~Flashback~_

'_Happy birthday, Stella__,__' Mac greeted Stella as she went into his office to relief him of some of those dreaded paperwork. _

'_Thanks, Mac__,__' Stella smiled, the smile that she wore every day, the smile that melted his heart __each time__._

'_I've gotten something for you. It's not much, but I hope you like it__,__' Mac told her somewhat shyly, handing her a small box._

'_Oh my god, Mac, they are gorgeous__,__' Stella exclaimed as she pulled out the pair of earrings out of the box. 'How did you know that I wanted these?'_

'_Last week when we were interrogating that owner of a jewelry store, I saw you glancing at those earrings quite often, so using some of these detective skills, I deduced that you like the__m,__' Mac answered, grinning._

'_Like i__t?__ I love it,' Stella answered. 'Thanks__,__' __s__he __grinned__, hugging him._

'_You're welcome__,__' Mac answered as she went out of the office with a stack of paperwork. He only had one thought going around his mind__ - __'She just hugged me. Stella Bonasera just hugged me.'_

_~End Flashback~_

'Hey, Mac,' Lindsay called as she came into the office.

'Please tell me you have something,' Mac groaned. After going through the earring for three times, he still could not find anything.

'Well, as a matter of fact, I do,' Lindsay answered. 'In the soil sample, I found a sprig of plant. I ran it through Edna and discovered that it was a rare plant known as the _Argentina anserine, _more commonly known Silverweed. Now, it is very rare and there are none in Stella's car or in that area of Central Park, so it had to be brought there by our perp. I did some research and found that there is some Silverweed next to a residential building in Brooklyn. The sprig was still quite fresh, so it is probably dropped there by the perp, who may be living in that residential building.'

'Good work, Lindsay. Let's go and check it out,' Mac answered.

Before Mac could get ready, Danny came in and saw Mac putting on his jacket. He gave a smile in Lindsay's direction.

'Okay, I'm willing to bet Montana gave you something good,' Danny told Mac, grinning. When Mac nodded, he handed him another file.

'Well, before you go, let me just fill that bag a little fuller. I was looking through those tools in the shed and one of them tested positive for blood. I ran it through AFIS and it came back as Stella's. So, obviously, that was the weapon that was used to hurt Stella. Now, there was not a single fingerprint on there, but there was a small amount of skin cells on it. I'm willing to bet that the perp scratched himself with his gloved hand and the cells transferred from the glove to the handle. Even better, we got a match. Matthew Garter. This guy's got a resume as long as the Park Avenue,' Danny answered. 'The best part? He has to report to the parole officer once a month and give the latest address, so we have it here.'

'Where is it?' Mac asked urgently.

'35C Park Towers, Brooklyn.'

'Consistent with what Lindsay's investigation says. Let's go,' Mac said as he went out of the office, with Danny mumbling something behind him.

*The Secret*

'Come on, copper. Let's go and have some fun.' Demon came back in and dragged Stella off Katie. Stella had spent the whole time stroking Katie's hair, calming her down and trying to help her ease the pain when she breathe.

Stella snarled at him, but it was no use. He immediately injected drugs into her system, rendering her helpless. He grinned and dragged her out of the room. Katie made a sound of protest, but Demon paid her no attention.

He dragged Stella into the next room, where he had first imprisoned Stella. He started caressing her cheeks and felt himself tensing up as he got ready. All of a sudden, he heard someone knocking on his door. He paid no attention to it, but a couple of seconds later, the door was knocked down. 'NYPD, show yourself,' the tall man with black hair and blue eyes yelled.

The strongest of the three came into the room that instant. The moment he saw Stella on the bed, he seemed to explode, his blue eyes sparkling with anger. When he turned to look at Demon-or Matthew Garter, the anger in his eyes made even Matthew shrink.

He signaled to the third man, a man with sandy brown hair, who came and cuffed Matthew's hands and took him away, presumably to the precinct, as Mac immediately went over to Stella.

'Mac, I'm find. Go and find Katie,' Stella pleaded, turning her large green eyes to him and falling asleep promptly due to the drugs in her system. Mac could never say no to her. He nodded and went to find Katie as Stella instructed.

He found her fairly quickly, since she was just in the next room, but when he went in, he could feel that something was wrong. He went over to Katie and shook her gently, but there was no response from her. He shook her on her shoulders again, slightly harder, thinking that she was in a deep sleep since her skin seemed feverish, but still, she gave no response. He quickly took a flashlight from his pocket and shone it into her eyes. Her pupils did constrict, but very slowly. He was getting more and more worried. Dropping the flashlight, he felt for a pulse. It was there, but extremely weak. All signs of being unconscious, but in Katie's case, he felt that if they didn't get her to the hospital soon, she was going to die

'I need paramedics in here now,' Mac roared. Two medics immediately came in and saw the gravity in the situation. They quickly loaded her into a stretcher and rushed her to the nearest hospital. When they got there, they immediately rushed her into ER, for her conditions were extremely severe. A neglected pneumonia could be life threatening and although Katie was only missing for 50 hours, she had had a lung problem ever since she was a child, and that just made the illness more serious.

He sighed and was about to go and fetch Stella for a rest when she bursted into the waiting room. Behind her, Don shrugged and drew his hands over his neck. Mac understood the meaning; Stella would kill him if he didn't get her here, and even in her present condition, she was still perfectly capable of doing so.

'How is she?' Stella demanded of Mac.

'Stella, I'm sorry, but I really don't know. They won't tell me anything,' Mac shrugged helplessly.

Just then, Katie's doctor, Doctor Robinson came out and took off the green surgical mask.

Mac pointed at the doctor and in the blink of an eye, Stella was next to the doctor, demanding to know whether her daughter was fine.

The doctor gave a small sigh before answering.

'Katie Bonasera's situation was extremely bad. Her cold probably began a few days ago and was properly taken care of at that time. She had almost recovered from it when it was severely neglected. There were fluids in her lungs and we managed to drain it all. She's survived the procedure,' the doctor explained.

'However, when she arrived, she was unconscious and now, she had slipped into a coma, her chance of waking is not high, only a mere 10%.'

* * *

><p><em>AN: Right, a very long chapter this week. I hope you like it. I'm sorry for not updating in the past few days, but I had just started at a new school and was exhausted each day after school, so I had to wait till weekend before posting this chapter. This story should end in a couple more chapters, but if you want a sequel, just ask in your reviews and I will do so._

_As usual, PLEASE review. No flamers please but criticisms are much appreciated._

_Much thanks to __**Bianca tabbycat**__, for being my beta, and also to __**AddictedtoReadingJC**__, for supporting me throughout the whole time._

_This chapter, however is dedicated to __**DarknessRevenge**__, for being a good friend to me when I was still at my old school. I'm gonna miss y__ou__ load__s__._

_Zoe tabbycat_


	6. Chapter 6

The Secret Ch.6

_**IMPORTANT**__: Please read the author's notes at the bottom. I do not want to put it up here and spoil it all for you. So, as soon as you finish reading the chapter, please, do go and read the author's notes._

Stella sat at the edge of Katie's bed. Her small body was hooked up to all sorts of machine; her breathing was still loud and labored, as if every breath was causing her a large amount of pain. The fluid in her lungs had been drained, thankfully preventing the necessity of having the lung removed, but the doctor told Stella that she was still in very critical condition.

It had been 5 hours since Katie had undergone a successful surgery and was placed in the ICU and Stella had been by her bedside ever since.

She cupped Katie's small hand in hers, willing Katie to give any sign of response; a small wriggle of a finger, a small squeeze… hell, anything that could prove that she knew that Stella was waiting for her. However, there was absolutely no sign of movement from her, but Stella knew she would wake up. Katie Bonasera was not her daughter for nothing.

Mac stood outside, staring into the small room, his eyes concerned. He had tried to reason with her, telling her that she herself had been injured and really should let herself have a rest, even promising her that he would stay with Katie the whole time, but gave up when Stella gave him the death glare. Her stubbornness was one of her qualities that made him fall for her, but he wished countless times that when it came to her health, she would back down slightly and let him take care of her, just like she did for him when Claire died. He gave a sigh and saw Lindsay heading towards him.

'Mac, any news?' Lindsay asked, her warm chocolate brown eyes worried. Stella was like her sister, and if anything happened to either Stella or Katie, she didn't know what she would do. Although she had never known about Katie, she had always guessed that Stella was keeping a secret of her own. Seeing how much Stella cared for Katie for the past 5 hours, she reverently hoped that Katie would make a full recovery.

'Stella wouldn't take a break,' Mac answered forlornly. Lindsay raised an eyebrow at him in return. 'I mean, she suffered blunt force trauma, she really needs to rest.'

Lindsay gave him one of those how-can-you-be-so-blind look. 'What?' Mac asked defensively.

'How long are you two going to dance around each other?' Lindsay asked. 'You two obviously care for each other more than friends. You two confide into each other about everything.'

'She didn't tell me about Katie though,' Mac retorted.

'She must have her reasons, Mac. Deep down, you know it. She would never intentionally keep anything from you unless she has a good reason. Katie's existence was kept a secret, and she must have a good reason for doing that,' Lindsay reasoned. 'You went halfway around the world to Greece, just to accompany Stella, and if that is not love between you two, I don't know what it is.'

'Lindsay,' Mac started, but backed down at her look. 'Fine, I do love her, but why would she love me?' Mac asked.

'Why would I not love you?' A quiet voice asked from the doorway, in the midst of their conversation, neither had notice Stella coming out of the room.

Mac spluttered while Lindsay inconspicuously excused herself, muttering something about fetching a cup of coffee, giving the two of them some privacy as they went into Katie's room

'Mac, did you mean it?' Stella asked, her voice soft.

Mac nodded, brushing a strand of hair back from her face. He longed to kiss her, to feel her in his arms, but he never screwed up his courage to ask her.

Stella snuggled up to him hesitatingly, he pulled her in gently and they stayed like that, taking in the feeling of safety inside each other's arms.

Lindsay gave a large smile from the corner where she was hiding. Finally. She never thought that she would see this day, when they finally came to their senses and take another step in their relationship, and hopefully, their marriage. She could already imagine their wedding, with Stella looking absolutely splendid in the perfect gown and Mac looking dashing in a black tux. Though maybe she was getting ahead of herself…

Lindsay took a mental picture of this scene and stored it in her mind permanently before leaving for home to rescue her daughter from the baby-sitter.

*The Secret*

'Why the hell did you do it?' Flack snarled at Matthew, who looked back at him without any fear or shame in his eyes.

'You won't get it, _mortal_,' Matthew scoffed, holding himself as if he was royalty, and the hard metal chair was his throne.

'I am a descendant of Hades. It is my job, to guide the men who have sinned to the Underworld. They belong to the Fields of Punishment, where they will suffer forevermore.' Matthew told the pair of best friends slowly, as if he was telling a small child the answer of a simple sum.

Flack suppressed a snort. 'Then tell me, why did you take Katie?'

'Who?' Matthew asked, his expression totally blank, which infuriated both of the detectives in the room so badly that it took all of their willpowers not to punch the living daylights of the man sitting in front of them.

Danny couldn't take his attitude anymore. He slammed his palms on the steel table, his knuckles protesting as he did so, but he paid no attention to it. He leaned towards Matthew and snarled at him, his voice low and dangerous.

'You captured one of my best friends and hurt her daughter. You also killed 5 other people. You've got 5 life sentences on you already. You won't be able to deny the charges. The DNA found at the scene came back as a match to you,' Danny hissed through gritted teeth, slapping the case file close. He straightened up, glared at the unfortunate culprit behind him and signaled for the officer standing guard outside to go and escort him to Rikers.

As Matthew and the officer were leaving the precinct, Matthew turned back and smiled at Danny and Don, seemingly oblivious to what was waiting for him at Rikers. They both glared back at him and strode away.

'Son of a bitch,' Don muttered as they went back to the crime lab.

* TheSecret *

'_Beep, beep, beep.'_ An alarm at the nurse station went off without warning, indicating that Katie's condition was changing. The doctors and nurses rushed in immediately while another nurse gently lead Stella out of the room, with Mac assisting. Stella was struggling to stay inside the room; tears were streaming down her eyes, which were wide with fear and glued to her unconscious daughter. The scene broke Mac's heart. He couldn't bear to see Stella so distraught. He guided her away as the doctors rushed Katie into surgery.

Stella collapsed on to the hard plastic chair in the waiting room, her shoulders shuddering as she broke down in front of Mac. She never usually cried in front of anyone, but she knew that Mac would never judge her because of the incident. After some time, she began to calm down gradually and registered that Mac was right next to her, hugging her and trying to give her some reassurance, to tell her that everything would be all right. She brushed her tears away from her eyes and glanced worriedly at the white doors that lead to the operation room.

*The Secret *

'Okay, give it another drain,' a doctor commanded as a couple other surgeons assisted him in the operation. It pained them all to see a girl so young lying on the operation table, fighting for every breath. The operation a day ago was successful, but the girl had had a bad reaction to the medication that she was given and went into cardiac arrest.

All of a sudden, the machine in the room started bleeping madly. The surgeons put every bit of their power to save her, but Katie's vitals were still dropping steadily.

'We're losing her!' A surgeon exclaimed as they put in their last efforts in the hope of saving Katie Bonasera.

_A/N: Well, here is chapter 6. I'm really sorry for the long wait, but I have 2 maths test this week, so I had to study for them. My school activity was cancelled for the day, so I had an extra hour to work. I've almost done all my maths, so I could spend this hour writing this chapter. I really hope you like it._

_PLEASE REVIEW!_

_Criticisms are much appreciated, but no flamers please._

_Special thanks to __**Bianca**__**tabbycat **__for betaing this chapter for me._

_Also, many thanks to all of you that reviewed. I love you all._

_I have asked you all to read the author's notes here at the bottom. As you can see, we have no idea whether Katie would make it through or not. To be truthful, I have not made up my mind yet. So, if you want her to live, or to die, please go and vote on my profile. Many thanks. _

_Zoe tabbycat _


	7. Chapter 7

The Secret Ch.7

After another 8 hours, the doctors came out of the operation room, exhausted but satisfied as the nurses wheeled Katie into a private room in the ICU unit. Doctor Robinson took off his mask and headed towards the waiting room, where he knew Stella and Mac were both waiting for news on Katie.

'Detective Taylor, Detective Bonasera, the surgery was successful.' Stella and Mac both let out a sigh of relief as they embraced each other.

'However, the surgery has taken its toll on her. Katie's chance of waking up from the coma has dropped to 2.5 percent. I'm sorry,' Doctor Robinson continued.

It took some time for the dreaded words to be comprehended by both Mac and Stella. Letting out a strangled yelp, Stella bolted out of the room, with Mac desperately trying to keep up with her as he contacted Lindsay and Danny to sit with Katie for a while.

Walking down the white corridor, Lindsay and Danny walked into the room where Katie was. Mac still had not managed to locate Stella yet, and he asked them to stay with the girl until he managed to find her. Although the team had only known about Katie for a few days and were still struggling to understand how Stella could possibly hide it from them, they already considered her as part of the large lab family, just like Lucy. Whenever one of them was in any kind of trouble, the rest of them would always be there for that person.

'Stella, Katie will be just fine. She won't give up without a fight,' Eileen Jameson consoled Stella. Eileen was Carla's mother, as well as a good friend of Stella's. She was sitting in her kitchen, sipping a cup of coffee as Eileen comforted her. Stella had raced to Eileen's place after she understood the doctor's words. She knew that she could always talk to Eileen, and Eileen would never turn her away.

'Stella, listen to me. You still have a chance. Katie isn't gone yet. Take the chance when you still have it. Unlike Carla, she can still come back,' Eileen insisted.

'Eileen, I'm so sorry,' Stella apologized.

'Don't be, Stella. Maybe it's time for her to go, but since it isn't for Katie, treasure your time with her,' Eileen answered. 'Promise me.'

'I will,' Stella agreed, and Eileen smiled.

'Good girl, Stella. Now go back to Katie, she needs her mother when she wakes up.' Eileen got up, and led Stella to the door. They gave each other a brief hug, and Stella went back to the hospital.

~The Secret~

'Stella, thank goodness. Where have you been?' A very worried Mac Taylor asked and hugged Stella, as she appeared in Katie's room, her eyes red, but otherwise fine.

'I'm fine, Mac. I just had to go and talk to someone,' Stella replied, hugging Mac back. She loved it when Mac wrapped his arms around her – she felt so safe there, as if nothing bad could ever happen. By that time, it was late at night, and Lindsay and Danny had already gone back to Lucy as Mac took up the job of sitting with Katie. Stella sat cautiously on the edge of the bed, placing her hands on Katie's.

'Hey, baby girl. I'm back here. How are you?' Stella asked, trying to keep her voice bright and cheery, hoping that it could fool Mac into thinking that she was fine, but even as she did so, she knew that it was futile. Just as she expected, Mac was absolutely not buying her tough girl act. Just as he was about to comfort her, a nurse stepped into the room briskly.

'Visiting hours are over,' she told them in a voice that left no room for arguing and went out of the room. Mac stood up and let Stella say goodbye to Katie, then he lead her out of the room and back to the car.

As they were driving back to Stella's apartment, Mac noticed that she was tensing up. 'Stella, what's wrong?' He asked anxiously as a tear slowly rolled down Stella's cheek. Stella shook her head and didn't answer. Mac decided that she was in no condition to be at home all alone, and so he turned the car into another lane that lead to his apartment on the other side of Manhattan.

~The Secret~

'Talk to me, Stella. Don't let it bottle up inside you. Let me help you,' Mac begged as Stella snuggled up against his chest, sobbing. He was really very worried about her. If Stella was upset to break down in front of anyone, then she was in a very bad way.

'I don't know if I can do this anymore, Mac. What if she doesn't make it?' Stella cried, letting the thing that worried her the most off her chest. Mac sighed and held her close, murmuring into her hair.

'Stella, listen to me. Katie will be fine. She just need some time to rest. Whatever happens, I will always be there for you, okay? I will not be going anywhere. I am going to be with you,' Mac told her.

'You promise you will be here? You won't go away, even if something happens to Katie?' Stella asked, a glimmer of hope entering her voice.

'I promise,' Mac promised, vowing to himself silently that he will never leave her again.

~The Secret~

Stella sat down in the courthouse. Today, the trial against Matthew Garter would take place. When the clock struck nine, the sounds of heels approaching the courtroom were heard.

'Stand,' the bailiff commanded, and everyone obeyed. The judge nodded and everyone sat back down. Stella knew that she would be called as a witness, and she was shaking with nerves. Mac noticed and placed his hands around her shoulders to reassure her that everything will turn out fine.

After Lindsay has testified as a CSI, it was time for Stella to go up as a witness. When the bailiff called her, she looked at Mac, pure fear shining in her eyes. Mac looked back at her, his eyes telling her that she was a strong woman, and she can get through this. She nodded and went up to the stand where she placed her right hand on the bible and swore to tell nothing but the truth.

As she sat back down, she felt that it was ironic. She had been on the stand thousands of times, testifying as a CSI, yet not even the first time could measure up to this. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself as the prosecutor stood up.

'Ms Bonasera, can you please tell us what happened to you?' The prosecutor asked.

'I was following a lead that involved a serial killer. I went into the shed in Central Park. All of a sudden, I felt that something hit me at the back of the head and then I blacked out,' Stella answered, the images from that day floating in her mind, taunting her.

'When I woke up, the man was standing over me. He gave me an aspirin and a glass of water, and after I took them, he showed me to my daughter. When he was about to rape me, Mac and the police came in and took him away.' Stella continued, looking up and met all the eyes of the juries sitting there. Every single jury sitting there can tell that she was not lying. As soon as her testimony is over, Stella went back down immediately and sat down next to Mac, letting her head fall onto his shoulder.

The jury filed out of the room, going next door to discuss the verdict. Stella could not stop shaking. She knew that the result could affect everything. Beside her, Mac felt her stiffen. He held her hands tightly and answered her unasked question.

'He won't get away with this, Stella. All the forensic evidence and your eyewitness testimony is enough to put him away for life,' Mac assured her, while Stella did all she could to bring up a smile.

The members of the jury all walked into the courtroom again. Everyone in the room tensed up. They all knew that the verdict would be delivered in the matter of minutes. Handing the paper to the head of the jury, the judge called.

'Will the defendant please rise?' The judge requested. Matthew Garter and his lawyer stood up and straightened their suit jacket. The head of the jury started to deliver the verdict of the case.

'In the matter of the people against Matthew Garter, the court finds him guilty of five first-degree murder, kidnapping of a minor and kidnapping of a crime scene investigator. Case dismissed.' The judge struck the mallet and made his way out of the room.

Matthew Garter lowered his head, finally understanding the severity of the situation. He made no attempts to struggle as he was taken away.

Stella and Mac jumped up immediately. They stared at each other, thankful that the culprit will be placed behind bars permanently. They gave each other a big hug, before heading back to the hospital to tell Katie the good news.

_A/N: I am sooo sorry for not uploading a chapter sooner, but school has been extremely hectic and I finally got time to write and here it is._

_As usual, please REVIEW. Criticisms are much appreciated but no flamers please._

_Special thanks to __**Bianca tabbycat**__ for betaing the story for me._

_Zoe tabbycat_


	8. Chapter 8

The Secret Ch.8

'Hey baby girl, I'm back,' Stella told Katie lovingly as she entered the room. She was so glad that she was bearing good news as she went into the room. Mac had taken a detour to the nearest coffee stand to get two cups of coffee, letting Stella have some time alone with Katie.

'The bastard who did this to you is not going to be able to touch you again, baby girl,' Stella whispered. She looked carefully at Katie for a sign, any sign that showed that she could hear her, like maybe a twitch of a finger, but there were none. Disappointed, Stella sat back down on the edge of the bed just as Mac came in, holding two steaming cups of brown liquid.

'Thanks, Mac,' Stella said gratefully as Mac handed her coffee to her. She took a sip and felt the warmth flow through her veins.

'Penny for your thoughts?' Mac asked her, noting her troubled look.

'I'm fine, Mac,' Stella answered, still trying to keep up her brave act. Seeing the steely glint in her eyes, Mac decided not to push the topic any further. Sitting down, he decided to ask the question that has been bothering him for a long time.

'Stella, why didn't you tell any of us about Katie before?' Mac asked.

Stella gave a weak smile, and was prepared to give her rehearsed answer, about how she was not ashamed of Katie, but she just had an issue with trust and when she got to trust the rest of the team, she couldn't just waltz in and tell them she had an eleven year old daughter, but seeing true concern in Mac's eyes, she decided to give the true answer.

'Believe me, Mac, I am not ashamed of Katie. She is just the best girl anyone can wish for, but I am ashamed of how James left me as soon as he knew about my little girl. I just couldn't let her go through what I had gone through at that time, the pain that you feel when someone that she thought cared about her, the person that she thought was family, was going to leave her, all alone.' Stella answered softly, with a bit of difficulty. This was something that she had never admitted to anyone, and the words felt a bit foreign in her mouth. When she looked at Mac, he could recognize that look in her eyes, begging for assurance that he would never leave the two of them.

'I will never leave you, Stella. I promise,' Mac vowed as he drew her closer. Stella relaxed into his embrace and refused to leave.

Outside, Lindsay, Danny, Sheldon, Adam, Sid and Don were standing there, smirking at the scene that was unraveling in the room. They high-fived each other and left quietly without disturbing the couple in the room.

_~The Secret_

Checking the vitals of the young girl laying on the bed, Doctor Robinson gave a small smile. She had seen Detective Bonasera next to Katie every single day, unlike a lot of other parents. Even with her hectic hours, she would still find time to spend with Katie. She was touched by the obvious love that Stella had for Katie, and was glad that Katie was making good prognosis.

'Detective Bonasera, Katie is making remarkable improvement. Her brain activity increased quite a bit, and she can breathe on her own now.' Doctor Robinson told a relieved Stella. 'She would probably wake up in a day or two.'

'Thank you, doctor,' Stella answered sincerely. Giving Stella a smile, Doctor Robinson walked away, presumably to check on some other patients. Stella walked back into Katie's room, a big smile on her face.

'You are making good progress, Katie Cat. The doctor thinks that you can be back with me in a couple of days,' Stella told her softly, tracing small circles on Katie's palm.

'Remember Detective Taylor? The man I have always told you about? He promised that he would never leave us. I trust him, Katie, and I love him. I really hope that you would too. Do wake up soon. You've had a nice, long nap. It's time for you to get up now.'

Mac walked into the hospital room at that very moment, noting that Katie's ventilator was already taken away. He was glad that it was so. He loved Stella, and even though he had never spent any time with Katie, he already saw her as his daughter. From all the photos and stories of Katie, Mac felt that he already knew the girl. Seeing her hooked up to all sort of monitors and ventilators was heartbreaking, and now that some of them were finally taken away, a heavy weight also fell off his shoulders. He smiled at Stella.

'How is she?' Mac asked.

'Getting better,' replied Stella. 'She can breathe on her own now and the doctor said that she would probably wake up soon.'

'That's good to hear,' Mac answered, sitting down next to Stella, allowing her head to fall onto his shoulder. Stella sighed contentedly. She only wish that this was happening in an apartment that belonged to them, instead of being in a hospital, with Katie lying on a hospital bed, hooked up to all sorts of monitors, unconscious.

They stayed in the room for another couple of hours together with Katie. After a short lunch, Mac had to go back to the lab and Stella decided to go with him, hoping to take her mind off things. They left the room with a promise to return as soon as their shifts were over.

_*The Secret*_

Walking back into the lab, Stella felt a wave of comfort hit her. The lab was her second home, and although her first one would no longer be the same, the fact that her second home was intact gave her a small feeling of stability.

She settled down in her office that she shared with Lindsay. Upon seeing the huge mountain of paperwork that was stacked on her desk, she gave a huge sigh. However, she believed that it would be well worth it. With less paperwork on his desk, Mac would be able to get more much-needed rests. She sat down, and started to work. As soon as their shifts ended, Mac and Stella both left their office under the astonished stares of the lab tech, who could not believe their eyes. Their boss actually left at a decent hour for a whole week.

_*The Secret*_

The hospital room was extremely quiet. Stella had fallen asleep while Mac read over case reports that the lab was dealing with. He stopped once in a while to look at _his _girls. Both of them were relaxed and peaceful, and Mac could not hold back a smile.

His smile was suddenly replaced by a small frown. His attention was suddenly captured by a small twitch on Katie's face. He placed the case reports down on the chair that he was sitting on and went over to Katie's side. There was no mistaking it. Katie's face had twitched and her hands were moving ever so slightly. He did not want to wake Stella as he hoped to let her rest for as long as it was possible, but he did promise to wake her if anything happened, so he had no choice but to rouse her.

'Stella, wake up,' Mac whispered urgently, patting her shoulder gently.

'What?' Stella asked, opening her eyes sleepily.

'Look at Katie,' Mac replied simply.

That immediately got Stella's attention. She was wide awake within minutes and looked closely at her daughter, fearing that there was something wrong, and then she saw it – a slight movement on Katie's face.

She sat down with Mac next to the bed and watched Katie intently. After half an hour, Katie's eyelids flickered open.

'Mama?' Katie murmured weakly.

_A/N: I'm soooooo sorry for not updating earlier, but I had gotten sick and the schoolwork just kept piling up. I got a free period today, so I used it to update this story. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter._

_As usual, PLEASE REVIEW! Criticisms are much appreciated, but no flamers please._

_Special thanks to __**Bianca tabbycat**__ who agreed to beta this story for me._

_This chapter is dedicated to all those who reviewed this story. I love you all._

_Zoe tabbycat._


	9. Chapter 9

The Secret Ch.9

_'Mama?' Katie murmured weakly._

Stella immediately leaned over and brushed the hair out of Katie's face. 'Baby girl, I'm here,' answered Stella lovingly. Mac left the room without a sound, allowing Stella and Katie some space together and went to fetch the doctor. Stella held onto Katie's hands, fearing that if she let go, Katie was going to leave her again.

Katie blinked sleepily and looked around. Her expression was confused at first, but then it changed to anger and fear when the memories came flooding back to her. She vaguely remember her mother being there for her when she was feeling so bad, but all of a sudden, Carla's face came to the front of her mind.

'Mom? Where's Carla? She is okay, isn't she?' Katie asked.

Stella held back a sigh. She had so hoped that Katie would not ask this question till later, when she had grown stronger and regained her strength, but the look in her eyes and the weak state of her daughter stopped Stella from telling the truth.

'She'll be fine, baby girl,' Stella comforted.

A sigh of relief escaped from Katie's lips, causing Stella to feel even guiltier. However, she pushed it to the back of her mind and gave Katie a gentle hug.

'And how are you feeling?' Stella asked her.

'I'm okay, mom,' Katie answered, but relented when she saw her mother's raised eyebrow. 'Fine… Apart from a slightly sore chest and a bit of dizziness, I feel perfectly fine. Now, it is my turn to ask a question.'

'Go on,' Stella answered, grinning. It felt so good to see her daughter awake and talking that she could not seem to stop grinning like a loon.

'Why was Detective Taylor next to you?' Katie asked, grinning mischievously. The coma might have slowed her thinking down a little, but in that short time, her memory had already recovered.

Before Stella could answer, Doctor Robinson came into the room, tailed closely by Mac.

'Ah, I see young Katie has woken up,' Doctor Robinson said jovially.

'Yep, Doc,' Katie answered happily, but as she was getting tired again, she slumped down on the pillow ever so slightly, but even that did not escape Doctor Robinson's keen eyes.

'Lie down,' Doctor Robinson ordered. Katie opened her mouth to argue with him, but since she was feeling a bit drained, she complied with the doctor's request without a second word.

Doctor Robinson checked her over carefully after Mac and Stella both went outside. 'Can you remember what happened?' Doctor Robinson asked. She had checked Katie carefully and found that her body was healing nicely. The slight concussion she had suffered was gone and it was time to check if her memory was intact.

'Yeah, I think so. Though some of the things were a bit… woozy,' Katie answered.

'That's normal,' Doctor Robinson replied, smiling. 'You are a very lucky girl. Only a small percentage of coma patient can actually remember most things after they had woken up.' She got up and signed the chart at the end of Katie's bed. 'Now you just lie back down, while your family can come in to chat with you.'

Katie nodded and Doctor Robinson went out, while Stella and Mac came in. Katie smiled innocently at Stella, who knew she was going to start looking for some answers to her previous question.

'Well?' Katie asked, her eyes tired, but dancing.

_*The Secret*_

The rest of the team went to the hospital as soon as Mac called them with the news that Katie was awake. They were all very eager to meet her, and delayed all their paperwork and made their way to the hospital. Thankfully, they did not have a fresh crime scene at the moment, so they could all leave their jobs for a while.

As they peered through the window, they noticed that Stella and Mac were both telling Katie something, and Mac's hands were placed protectively at Stella's back. The women squealed quietly to themselves and the men high-fived each other. As soon as they managed to calm down, they knocked on the door and announced their presence.

'Hey everyone,' Stella greeted as they came in. Katie eyed them all carefully. Although none of the team knew about her, she certainly knew about them. All the stories, all the photos that her mother had told her and shown her, she never forgot one of them.

'Hello, Katie,' Lindsay said softly. Katie looked back at her shyly. The team all took a good look at her. There was absolutely no doubt in their mind that Katie was Stella's daughter. They bore a great resemblance to each other.

Everyone introduced himself or herself to her, and Katie seemed to get more contented as time went on, but soon, she could not help but surrender to the wave of exhaustion that engulfed her. Stella noticed and motioned for the others to let her get some rests. They excused themselves and left the room, heading back towards the lab.

_*The Secret*_

Katie laid down on her pillows. She missed Carla so much and wanted to see her and have a chat with her. She turned to her mother with a pleading look in her eyes.

'Mom, can I go and have a chat with Carla, please?' Katie begged.

Stella looked at her daughter and felt her heart breaking into a million pieces. She could not bear to lie to her daughter anymore, and no matter how hard it was, she had to tell her the truth.

'Katie, I'm so sorry. Carla passed away,' Stella told her softly.

Katie stared at her mother, disbelief showing in her eyes. 'But you said she was fine,' Katie whispered, horrified.

'I'm so sorry. I did not want you to hear this yet, but I can't lie anymore,' Stella admitted. Katie let out a strangled yelp and started crying.

Stella and Mac both rushed over to her. Normally, Katie would never allow a man that she had never seen in her life to get near her, but from all that she had heard about Mac, she allowed it. They both hugged her and attempted to calm her down, but Katie was beyond reasoning. Mac suddenly thought of Lindsay, who had gone through something quite similar to Katie, and would know how she felt. He immediately went out and gave a call to Lindsay, asking her to come and help, to which Lindsay consented immediately.

Walking into the room, Lindsay could not help but feel bad for Katie. She still remembered how hard it was after the shooting at the diner. She was miserable all the time, and felt she did not deserve to live. On seeing that Lindsay had arrived, both Stella and Mac left the room for a while, letting Lindsay talk to Katie.

'Katie?' Lindsay called softly, but received no response at all. She went over to Katie's side and held her gently, letting her cry it all out. Katie stiffened a little at first, but relaxed after a short while. After a while, Katie's crying subsided and she looked up at Lindsay.

'Why me?' Katie asked, her large green eyes fixed on Lindsay's face.

That sentence took Lindsay back to that day, when she had asked her mother the very same question. It was a question that still haunted her, to this day.

'I don't know, Katie. Life is not fair. You know it, and I know it,' Lindsay replied.

'How do you know?' Katie asked.

Lindsay told her about the shooting at the diner, about how she felt, and to her own surprise, she found it easier than she expected to talk about it. Maybe it was because she knew that Katie would understand, maybe it was because she knew the man responsible was already placed behind bars, but no matter the reason, she still found it much easier to talk about it.

After telling her everything, Katie stayed quiet. Lindsay almost thought she had fallen asleep until a small question escaped her.

'How do you get through it?'

'It's not easy. You wake up everyday, and expect to see them, but you don't. That's the hardest part. People say time can heal all wounds, but that may not be true. You will never heal completely, but it will get better.'

'Will it?' Katie asked uncertainly.

'Yes,' Lindsay promised, a hand held to her heart. "I swear."

_*The Secret*_

Walking out of the room, Lindsay's mind strayed back to the first few months without her friends. She stopped talking, stopped eating and stopped laughing. Her nights were plagued continuously by nightmares and she lost weight drastically. Her parents became worried about her and took her to doctors, whom all told them that time will heal all wounds.

_Survivor__'__s__guilt,_they called it. Two simple words, for a syndrome that can forever ruin a person. It was not fair, especially to a child. The nightmares were still clearly etched into her head and she knew that Katie would have a long road of recovery ahead of her.

_*The Secret*_

Stella and Mac went back into the room when Lindsay left. Katie had calmed down a bit, but was still extremely upset. Mac could tell that she need some rest, but would not be able to fall asleep easily, therefore, he took out his bass and began to play a gentle song. Soon afterwards, Katie Bonasera was fast asleep.

* * *

><p><em>So, I am back with a new chapter. I hope that you all like it, and if you have any extra ideas that you want me to use, please PM me or leave it in a review.<em>

_PLEASE REVIEW! Criticisms are much appreciated, but no flamers please. _

_This chapter is dedicated to csi kane and RhizOneill for their awesome reviews. I love you guys._

_Zoe tabbycat_


	10. Chapter 10

The Secret Ch.10

It had been a week since Katie Bonasera had woken up and memories of the incidents began flooding back to her. Stella and Mac had stayed by her side, helping her to get over what had happened. It was these small gestures that Mac made, such as just by staying with her, being there for her when she needed someone, told her that Mac was a trustable man, a man whom she could count on. She was beginning to regard Mac as a father figure, someone she had never had.

Doctor Robinson came in the room with a smile tugging at her lips. Recording something onto her chart, she gave Katie a large smile.

'Well, Katie, how are we feeling today?' Doctor Robinson asked her.

'Good. Can I go home?' Katie asked hopefully.

Doctor Robinson chuckled. Katie had asked this question over a thousand times in the past week and finally, she was able to give her the answer that she wanted.

'Yes, Katie, you can go home today,' Doctor Robinson told her, and Katie immediately leapt out of bed in joy. Unfortunately for her, Stella walked into the room at this very moment, and since Katie had promised to stay put, she was _furious_.

'Katie Jean Bonasera! What did I tell you about getting out of bed?' Stella asked, her hands on her hips and her eyes flashing.

Katie gulped and looked down. She knew better than to challenge her mother right now when she was in this kind of mood, but the news that she was to be discharged was still bubbling in her and she could not hold it in any longer.

'But mom, Doctor Robinson just told me I can go home!' Katie exclaimed.

A large smile broke across Stella's face. She had been waiting for this news for what it seemed like an eternity and her wish had finally come true.

'Very well, I won't scold you this time, cause this is a good reason for getting out of bed,' Stella told her playfully, and which Katie giggled.

Packing up did not take long at all. After half an hour, Katie's belongings were all packed up and Mac had arrived with the Avalanche. They placed them all in the trunk and left for Stella's apartment immediately.

_*The Secret*_

Katie stepped into her home and breathed in a lungful of fresh air. She smiled when she saw various items of Mac's in the apartment and knew that he had already sort of moved in.

She took the bag that contained all her belongings into her room. Stella and Mac had decided to go out and get something special to celebrate her homecoming. They had promised her that they will be back soon and she had agreed.

Walking into her room, Katie smiled, looking around. Everything felt so good. Then all of a sudden, her smile faded as her eyes landed on a photo of Carla and herself, smiling cheekily at the camera. It was at that moment, when Katie fully comprehended the gravity of Carla's situation – she would never see her, or talked to her again.

She placed her things in the closet neatly, but her mind and heart were not really into it. Images of Carla kept on floating around her head unrelentingly. No matter how hard she tried not to think about it, the images would not let her go. She went over the closet, took the photo of Carla, and stuffed it in the back of her wardrobe, hoping that this way she could silence the voice in the back of her mind, the voice that told her she was responsible for Carla's death.

After a hot shower, she felt a lot better, and her mother and Mac had brought back a whole load of food, which, in Katie's opinion, was enough to feed an army. They all sat down around the table and began to tuck in.

_*The Secret*_

After the meal, the three of them decided to watch a film together. They sat together on the sofa, and Katie was asleep in half an hour. The doctor had told them that Katie would most likely feel tired frequently and she should stay at home for another few days before returning to school. Since Katie was already in her pajamas, Mac lifted her up gently and carried her to her bed, where he laid her down carefully before going back to Stella and the film.

_*The Secret*_

'_Carla?' Katie gasped._

'_Katie,' Carla greeted Katie coldly._

_Katie's steps faltered. Carla's eyes were shining with betrayal and she was confused. What had she done to cause Carla to become so angry?_

'_How could you? I thought we were friends. It's all your fault. It's all your fault that I am dead,' Carla shouted at Katie._

'_What? How?' Katie asked, scared and bewildered._

'_Go away! I don't want to see you anymore,' Carla shouted._

'Katie? Katie, wake up!' Stella shook Katie gently, trying to wake her from her nightmare, but Katie seemed to be trapped in there, unable to make it out. She held Katie close to her, whispering in a soothing voice, until Katie finally opened her eyes, tears streaming out of them.

'It's okay, Katie, It's okay. It was just a dream,' Stella told her continuously, as Mac went and got her a warm glass of milk.

Katie nodded and leaned against her mother, accepting Mac's glass of milk, but deep down, she was not convinced that it was a dream.

_*The Secret*_

Katie grew quieter and quieter. Stella and Mac were both extremely worried about her. She seemed to be withdrawing from reality, and nothing seemed to be able to bring her back. They had talked to Lindsay about it and she had told them that deep down, she was still probably blaming herself for Carla's death. They had to be careful, for no one really knew how bad it could be for them, and Katie could do something drastic.

Mac and Stella decided to give Katie a little space, and did all they could to let them know that they would be there for her when she felt the need to talk, but it did not seemed to be working too well. She hardly ever left her room and even if she did, it seemed as if a part of her had died as well.

_*The Secret*_

After another couple of weeks, Mac decided to try and talk to her again, hoping that the couple of weeks were able to heal the wounds slightly, enabling him to convince her that what she had seen was just a dream, and Carla's death was not her fault.

Knocking gently on the door, he entered Katie's room, and the sight of the room shocked him to his very core.

Blood was on the floor and the bed, and sitting in the middle, was young Katie Bonasera. Her eyes were filled with tears, guilt and pain, and a small knife was in her hand. There was a gash on the other wrist.

_A/N: Please don't kill me for ending it here. A good friend of mine, **BookLover926**suggested the nightmare and it gradually blossomed into this plot. _

_Please please please leave behind a review and tell me what you think of this. If you have anything you want me to add into this story, please put it in your review or just simply PM me._

_Criticisms are highly appreciated but no flamers please._

_This chapter is dedicated to both **Bianca****tabbycat** and **BookLover926** for their help. You two both rock._

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorite or alerted the story. You guys all gave me motivation to continue with the story._

_Zoe tabbycat_


	11. Chapter 11

The Secret Ch.11

'Katie!' Mac exclaimed as he went into her room quickly. The sight of the blood flowing out of the gash on her wrists was frightening, and briefly, he wondered why did she do it, but there was no time to dwell on it. He had to get her to the hospital now. He called for Stella, but there was no response, it took another couple of seconds before he remembered that Stella was at work today. He cursed and lifted Katie up, taking her to the avalanche and drove to the hospital immediately.

From the amount of blood in the room, he could tell she had not manage to cut through any arteries and blood vessels, but the cut was still quite deep. If left unattended, she could die. He floored on the gas pedal, put on the sirens and reached the hospital within minutes.

Hearing the commotions, some doctors came out with a stretcher. Among them was Doctor Robinson. Seeing the young girl on a stretcher again broke her heart, when she had only been out of the facility's care for about a week. Shouting orders to the other doctors, they rushed her to the trauma unit. Mac collapsed down on a chair and buried his head and his hand. His elbow touched the phone that he kept in his pocket and he looked up. It was time to make the one phone call that he was dreading, a phone call to Stella.

_*The Secret*_

Humming a tune as she walked along the corridors of the crime lab, Stella gave a grin to herself. Her daughter was fine, the person whom she had loved for a long time was finally with her, and she knew that he would never be like Frankie or Drew, attempting to harm her in any way. She settled down in front of her computer screen and got ready to hunt down more criminals. After fifteen minutes of working, her phone rang. The caller ID brought a smile to her lips as she answered it.

'Hey Mac. Missed me already?' Stella teased.

'Hey Stell. I need you to come down to Trinity General.' Mac's voice was unusually grave. The tone immediately brought all of Stella's sense on alert.

'What's wrong, Mac?' Stella asked, slipping on her jacket, walking out of the lab and signaling to Danny that she was leaving all at the same time. She knew that Mac was not pretending something was wrong, _something _was definitely wrong.

'It's Katie.' Two simple words penetrated her ears. It was only two words; two simple words were all it took to bring her whole world crumbling down again. She raced to the hospital and when she burst through the door, her cheeks were red and eyes were wild. She spotted Mac and went over to him immediately.

'What happened?' She whispered. Mac told her everything, how he found Katie and how he took her to the hospital and assured her that she did not cut any arteries or major blood vessels.

Dr. Robinson came out of the room at that moment. Spotting both Mac and Stella, she made her way over to them. 'Detectives, Katie is fine. There will certainly be scarring on the cut, and if not careful, the wound may get infected, but otherwise, there are no major damage done physically.' She answered their unasked question.

'And mentally?' Stella whispered, dreading the response.

'Unfortunately, Katie is refusing to speak at all. Physically? She will heal soon, but mentally, it is a long road.' Dr. Robinson told them, looking at them carefully, letting them understand the severity of Katie's problem were not physical, but mental.

'Which room is she in?' Mac asked.

'302.' Dr. Robinson answered. As soon as the last word exited her mouth, Mac and Stella headed towards the room where Katie was waiting for them.

Heading into the room, Stella and Mac found Katie curled up on her bed, the tears still streaming down her face. Her hand was bandaged by a large piece of dressing and Katie was clutching at it.

Stella literally flew over to her, and Mac went to her other side. Katie snuggled into her mother's embrace, and Stella signaled to Mac to let her have a few moments with her daughter. However, the warning glint in Stella eyes warned him to _never blame himself for what happened._

_*The Secret*_

Stella let Katie cry it out, cry it all out. It had hurt her to see her own baby girl so sad. In her heart, she blamed Matthew Garter for doing what he did, and causing Katie to become so depressed, for causing her to even contemplate suicide. Hugging her tightly, Stella murmured soothingly in her ears. It did not matter what she was saying, all it mattered was to let Katie know that she was nearby.

After a long time, Katie's crying started to subside and after a couple of hiccups, she seemed to have calmed down slightly. Stella loosened her hug on Katie slightly, thinking that she would want to lie down, but Katie gave a whimper immediately and tightened her grip on her mother.

Stella hugged her tight again immediately, her heart aching for her daughter. She would give anything to take away all the pain that her daughter is going through. This is the thing Stella hated the most, being helpless. Her only daughter was going through unimaginable pain, and she could do nothing but to hold her and comfort her.

After some time, Katie's breathing evened out and Stella saw that she had finally fallen into a rather disturbed sleep. Her limbs were still twitching and her brows furrowing. Placing her back down on the bed gently, Stella placed a kiss on her forehead. She was about to leave when Katie shifted, keeping a tight clutch on her mother's arms.

Stella sat back down immediately. She did not care if she was tired and grouchy for work in the morning. Her daughter needed her, and she would be there fore her. She began stroking her hair and soon fell asleep herself.

_A/N: I know, I am such a horrid person. I should have updated more often, but schoolwork is harsh. I know this chapter is probably not up to my usual standard, but I hope you will still like it._

_Reviews are much appreciated. No flamers please, but criticisms are very welcomed_

_Also, my beta is still having her exams, so any mistakes are mine, if you should spot any, either PM me or just bear with me._

_Zoe tabbycat_


	12. Chapter 12

The Secret Ch.12

'Lindsay, I really need your help.' Stella pleaded as Lindsay stepped into their office.

It had been another week since Katie was discharged from the hospital, and Stella was getting really worried. Katie seemed to be in a daze, and reacted to nothing that was happening around her.

'Sure thing.' Lindsay replied easily. 'What can I do?'

'It's Katie. She still seemed to be in a daze. She is reacting to absolutely nothing, and is starving herself. I can't seem to get her to do anything.' Stella moaned, her heart aching for the young girl.

'Maybe you need to help her to get over the whole thing.' Lindsay murmured, her brows frowning.

'Yeah, I know. But how?' Stella asked, frustrated, running her hands through her wild curly locks.

'Stella, take her to Carla's grave. She needed closure, let her have it. If someone has to kept over another person's death, closure is really important.' Lindsay suggested.

'You really think bring her there will do her any good?' Stella asked uncertainly.

'Yes.' Lindsay answered, confidently. 'Now go get Mac, and the two of you go take Katie and let her have the closure that she really needs.'

_*The Secret*_

Walking along, Katie's mind was spinning round and round. Although she had never been there, it was as if she knew exactly where Carla's grave was located. Her feet just kept on putting itself in front of the other, taking turns when it was necessary. Mac and Stella followed behind, hands intertwined with each other's.

Reaching the gravestone, Katie knelt down in front of the pristine, new stone slab, with traced her fingers over Carla's name. All of a sudden, a memory floated right in front of her.

'_Carla, if we should ever argue, what will be a small sign of forgiveness?' Katie asked worriedly. She needed to know that they would always be best friends, and even if they argue, forgiveness will come._

'_A white lily petal, because white means clean, and lily is our favorite flower.' Carla answered simply._

Katie looked up. Tears were leaking out of here eyes as she looked at the white clouds that dotted the blue sky. She wrinkled her eyebrows as something floated down from the sky. Katie held out her hands and the object floated down into her hands. She brought it close to her face and saw what it was. A single white lily petal.

Katie's finger stroked the soft lily petal. She stood up, and went to the edge of the graveyard. Tossing the flower petal up into the air, she allowed it to float gently down to the ground, and she realized that the people around her had been right. The whole incident had never been her fault.

She got up, and went back over to her mother and Mac, a smile finally reappearing on her pale face. Stella and Mac were both relieved; the whole nightmare was finally over.

_*The Secret*_

_Epilogue:_

'I'm home.' Mac announced as he closed the door behind himself.

'Hey Dad.' 16-year-old Katie called from the kitchen as his wife Stella Taylor came out and gave him a peck on his cheek. Suddenly, someone started tugging on his trousers. Laughing, he leaned down, and picked up a young toddler named Suki from the floor and went into the kitchen.

'Hey Katie-cat.' Mac grinned, ruffling her long hair. Katie started babbling on about her day as she started taking the food out into the dining room. At the same time, little Suki started shrieking in his ears well.

Setting Suki down in her high chair, he sneaked up behind Stella, who was washing the dishes, and wrapped his hands around her small waist.

'Stell, sit down and eat first. These can wait till later.' He whispered. Stella gave a small smile and went over to the table with Mac. Sitting down, they all began to enjoy their dinner.

Looking around, Mac still could not believe that he now had his own family. If you had told him 6 years ago, he would have never believed it, now, he believed that if you are brave enough to try, anything is possible.

~Fin~

_A/N: Hurray! And the story ends on a happier note. I would really like to say a big, massive thank you to everyone who had reviewed my story, and given me ideas on how to complete this story. Special thanks __**Bianca tabbycat**__, who kept on helping me throughout this story._

_I hope you all like this story, and was not too disappointed with it._

_Even if this is the last chapter, PLEASE REVIEW. They make me so happy, and I live for reviews!_

_Criticisms are much appreciated, but no flamers please._

_Oh, by the way, that lily petal scene? Please don't say that it was so fake. A friend told me about this and let me use it in my story. Therefore, I hope that none of you complain that it was just to unrealistic._

_Zoe tabbycat_


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